Rapid urbanization and construction cause significant land cover changes, degraded environments, and the emergence of novel ecosystems that have major implications for biodiversity. There is an urgent need to activate architecture through a multispecies design approach to mitigate the degrading biodiversity. Recent technological advances in architecture such as computational design and digital fabrication techniques offer new avenues for designing free forms and fabricating them in a range of materials. This research brings design and ecology together by designing and fabricating artificial bird habitats for a cavity-nesting bird species, the Northern House Wren (Troglodytes aedon). First, an artificial habitat named Nook was designed informed by preserved nests built inside traditional wooden nest boxes. Second, additive manufacturing of plastic molds for repeatable concrete casting was employed for fabricating ten habitats, which were installed in the field, along with ten traditional wooden nest boxes. By monitoring the nests from 25-June until 2-August during the summer 2025 breeding season, it was recorded that nine concrete nests out of ten were used by the birds, and the success rate (boxes with young/boxes used) was 88.9%. The empirical data confirmed the success of the concrete habitats, benchmarked with wooden nestboxes. Afterward, a second additive manufacturing method, clay 3D printing, was put forth for testing. Initially, the same exact geometry was planned to be fabricated; however, realizing the limitations of the method, the authors concluded that the design needs to have major adjustments for this second fabrication method. The results of this study demonstrate the opportunities and limitations of each fabrication strategy. Future steps include adjusting Nook’s design for clay 3D printing and installing them in the field for evaluation. This article exemplifies the broader impact of innovative technologies on shaping the built environment, towards creating multispecies architectural assemblies.

3D Concrete Printing (3DCP) is a transformative advancement in the building industry that is poised to increase efficiency, reduce labor and waste, and be more resilient to natural disasters. 3DCP utilizes automated layer-by-layer additive manufacturing techniques that can accelerate construction timelines and enhance architectural design flexibility. Despite its benefits and recent advancements, 3DCP technology still has many challenges, including the high carbon footprint mainly attributable to its carbon-intensive nature on cement-based mixtures. Reducing the embodied carbon of cement-based materials employed in 3D printing is crucial to the building industry. This study proposes an innovative strategy to add locally produced biochar to 3DCP mixes to reduce the overall carbon footprint. The biochar, a carbon-rich material used in this study, is generated through the pyrolysis of an agricultural byproduct, corn stover, and added into 3D printable concrete mixtures. A lifecycle assessment (LCA) adhering to ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 standards was performed to investigate the decarbonization capacity of biochar. The results indicated a notable reduction in carbon emissions, with an emission factor of -1.954kgCO₂/kg, suggesting that each gram of biochar added effectively compensates for about two grams of carbon dioxide emissions linked to cement production. Structural tests conducted by our research team, following the ASTM C39 and C293 standards, showed that biochar-infused 3DCP mix can achieve sufficient compressive and flexural strength. All things considered, integrating locally produced biochar is expected to substantially mitigate carbon emissions in the 3DCP process.

The global construction industry faces urgent challenges in reducing embodied carbon while adapting to increasingly extreme climate conditions. Earth-based construction presents a low-impact alternative to conventional materials, but traditional methods are labor-intensive, and skilled labor is increasingly scarce. Digital fabrication, particularly 3D printing, offers an opportunity to modernize these practices while preserving their material and cultural relevance. While 3D printing with earth materials has gained attention as a low-impact alternative, many existing workflows rely on proprietary systems, high-cost machinery, or context-specific soils, limiting broader adoption. This research proposes a replicable, accessible fabrication method for soil-based additive manufacturing tailored to semi-arid regions. The study develops a full soil-to-print workflow using low-cost tools and regionally sourced soils. A series of mixtures incorporating clay, sand, and wheat straw were developed and printed using a paste-based ceramic printer. Each mix was evaluated for print fidelity, compressive strength, and humidity resilience. The workflow includes soil extraction, processing, and recipe development suitable for replication with other paste-based systems. Results show that properly processed local soils can produce cantilevered geometries and resist environmental stress. The resulting workflow demonstrates a scalable, low-cost approach to soil-based additive manufacturing in semi-arid regions. Ultimately, the project contributes to a growing body of research at the intersection of material equity, environmental performance, and digital construction. It underscores how local materials and accessible tools can deliver immediate, climate-adaptive solutions for architectural applications in semi-arid regions.